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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Kanawha family judge sues nurse, others over arrest

Msnyder

CHARLESTON – A Kanawha family court judge who was acquitted of a battery charge earlier this year has sued the nurse who accused him, as well as others who were involved in his arrest last year.


Stephanie King, John Doe, Daniel Jackson, Mike King, Eric Tipton, B. Lightner, the City of Charleston and Charleston Area Medical Center Inc. are the defendants named in D. Mark Snyder's complaint.


On Nov. 4, 2013, Snyder went into a facility owned by CAMC's General Division to visit, aid and assist his friend, Anthony F. Serreno, who was a patient at the facility, according to a complaint filed Nov. 3 in Kanawha Circuit Court.


Snyder claims he had been called by Pam Steelhammer, who was already at the facility with Serreno, but did not want to leave until Snyder arrived.


Serreno was diagnosed as requiring further amputation and was to be transferred from the second floor to the fifth floor, according to the suit.


Snyder claims when he arrived at the facility, the defendants were in the process of moving Serreno to the fifth floor and had already delivered his meal to him.


Serreno was informed he needed to take his meal with him and was forced to eat the meal in the hallway of the fifth floor, according to the suit.


Following the transfer, there was a significant delay in situating Serreno into the room of the fifth floor and he was anxious, uncomfortable and in pain while he was waiting to be placed in his bed on the fifth floor, according to the suit.


Snyder claims King, who was the nurse assigned to Serreno, did not provide any meaningful care for Serreno for a considerable period of time and that at least once, Serreno went to the nurse's station in an attempt to get his medication and move into his bed, but he was unsuccessful.


After another long period of time "plaintiff walked to the nurse's station for his friend...in another attempt to get his medication and move into his bed," the complaint states.


Snyder claims King told him that she had already made the patient's bed, and when Snyder asked King to accompany him back to the room to verify that the bed was not made and that Serreno had not been placed in the bed, King "began to scream and yell that plaintiff had touched her and yelled to the staff to contact security and demanded that plaintiff leave the facility."


Snyder returned to the room to retrieve his personal items to leave the facility as demanded and King also demanded that Clint Crawford, who was also there with Serreno, leave the facility with no explanation, according to the suit.


King continued to scream and yell while Crawford and Snyder collected their belongings and when the two men stopped at the security desk on the first floor on their way out of the facility to inquire about filing a formal complaint about the treatment received by Serreno and themselves, according to the suit.


Snyder claims after he was advised that there was no one available other than charge nurses to receive a complaint, he was informed that King intended to file charges against him and he left the facility.


Deputy Sheriff Mike King, who is married to Stephanie King, spoke with a member of the City of Charleston Police Department who, prior to completing a proper investigation, procured a warrant to arrest Snyder.


Snyder claims he turned himself in to authorities and was released upon the posting of a bond to secure his appearance.


On May 2, while battery charges where pending against Snyder, members of the Charleston Police Department appeared at Snyder's personal residence on the pretext of looking for a missing person and demanded entry into his residence, according to the suit.


Snyder claims his daughter refused to allow the officers access without a warrant or justification and, upon hearing the commotion downstairs, Snyder came downstairs and asked what was going on.


The officers "then entered the home of the plaintiff without permission, probable cause, justification or a warrant," the complaint states.


On Aug. 7, Snyder was acquitted of the battery charges, according to the suit.


Snyder claims the verbal abuse, false allegations of battery, procuring the warrant, arrest, unreasonable search and entry of his home and trial were exclusively the result of the malicious, illegal and wrongful acts of the defendants.


Snyders is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.


He is being represented by James M. Pierson of Pierson Legal Services.


Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 14-C-1960

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